It is desirable to equip a vehicle such as a four-wheel pickup truck having a rear loading compartment with a hoist mechanism for loading and unloading the truck but such has heretofore proved impractical because of the obstruction created if the hoist is centrally located. If the hoist is mounted adjacent a corner of the truck body, excessive unbalanced loads are placed on the wheels. No matter where the hoist is located, if the loads are relatively heavy, the wheel structure of the vehicle is overloaded.
Hoist supports of the outrigger type have been provided heretofore such as, for example, those illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,741,373 and 3,784,035. Such arrangements contemplate the use of transverse hoist supporting mechanisms which afford support at each end on legs carried outboard of the vehicle. Structures of this type would be difficult to manipulate in a four-wheel truck and could not be readily disassembled and placed in the loaded vehicle for transport after use. Other auxiliary supports are provided for supporting the boom itself such as those illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,878.
Accordingly, it is an important object of this invention to provide a hoist mounting and support means permitting a hoist to be mounted adjacent a rear corner of a truck body with an auxiliary support to prevent excessive unbalanced loading on the wheel structure and which may be readily disassembled and placed in the vehicle after it is unloaded.